2009 Poem-A-Day Challenge
April is National Poetry Month, so it’s a perfect opportunity to live up to my URL and flashback to the late 90s when I worked at The Academy of American Poets and was terrorizing the NYC poetry slam scene! I’ve attempted National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) twice, cranking out 15,000 words on the second try,
NaNoWriMo 2004 Update: 15,609
While technically NaNoWriMo ended yesterday, practically speaking, I fell off the wagon two weeks ago and never managed to get back on. Final word count: 15,609. Well short of the 50,000 word goal, but an amazing leap forward for me in terms of self-discipline. For the first two weeks, at least. I take some solace
BABE IN THE WOODS: Nine
Thursday, October 31, 2013: Sherman Park, NY, USA Herman Ruth stood perfectly still, partially hidden behind a large oak tree three hundred yards into Leitas Pond Park, directly across from Detective Eric Pearson’s house. It was the first time he’d observed the house, but it was the first time he had company doing it. His
BABE IN THE WOODS: Eight
Thursday, October 31, 2013: Sherman Park, NY, USA Eric Pearson gave the hot water knob another turn, wanting more than anything at that moment to scald away the invisible layer of fear coating his entire body. He winced sharply, but didn’t back away from the steaming spray showering down on him. He’d been standing there
NaNoWriMo 2004 Word Count, Day 15
Babe in the Woods, NaNoWriMo Word Count, Day 15: 13,297 (-11,708) For the second time in three days, I managed to crank out more than the 1,667 words/day minimum, resulting in a 121-word dent in my overall Word Debt. If not for the whole working and sleeping thing, I’d have made even more progress as
BABE IN THE WOODS: Seven
Thursday, October 31, 2013: West Point, NY, USA “Trick or treat, Vargas! Time to move!” Damon shifted under his green flannel bedsheet, slightly damp from a night of fitful sleep, as he teetered on the edge of consciousness, desperately trying to ignore the insistent knocking at his door. Pulling the lumpy pillow over his head
NaNoWriMo 2004 Word Count, Day 14
Like so many things with me, once I get past the hump of actually getting started on something, I tend to jump into it completely and, as much as possible, make the most of the moment. Like spring cleaning, of the sort we did yesterday after continually putting it off for the past few weeks.
NaNoWriMo 2004 Word Count, Day 13
Babe in the Woods, NaNoWriMo Word Count, Day 13: 10,874 (-10,797) Roughly 50 double-spaced pages so far, surpassing the length of my old screenplay’s first draft, many moons ago! (Though that was cranked out over three days, so perhaps it’s not so impressive.) Still deep in the Word Debt hole, though, but the past couple
BABE IN THE WOODS: Interlude (two)
2007-2009; United States of America The United States’ second Civil War finally broke out in 2007, after three years of boiling following the controversial 2004 Presidential election. Strangled by a two-party political system that over the years had, for all intents and purposes, merged into one, unable to convincingly differentiate themselves on the major issues
BABE IN THE WOODS: Six
Wednesday, October 30, 2013: Mt. Pleasant, NY, USA Eric Pearson took three lunging steps backwards, his stomach still clenched tight, threatening more dry heaves if he didn’t find some fresh air in the next 30 seconds. Clear of the puddle of blood, gore and half-digested sliders, he turned and stepped back out of the door